Disclaimer: Still don´t own Dinotopia, dammit !
Kapitel 4 : On the tramp
He was awakened by someone shaking his shoulder.
Grumbling, Cyrus turned on his other side, away from this unwanted source of awareness.
Warm air blew in an annoying way against his face.
Angry he opened his eyes, just to close them a second later.
Then he opened one eye.
The T-Rex was still there, the warm air coming out of his mouth smelling of meat and blood.
With a somewhat curious look the dinosaur examined him, then - after coming to the conclusion that the human wasn´t awake enough yet - he prodded Cyrus with his nose.
Immediately Cyrus was on his feet - or would have been, hadn´t it been for his stiff leg.
In utter confusion he fingered for his cane, so that Seth wouldn´t get the idea that something more drastic was necessary.
When he finally found the damn piece of wood, he stood upright and eyes Seth as if saying "Hah, faster than you."
He heard muffled laughter form his right. Turning his head he saw Jessie sitting next to an already inflamed fire, grilling a clot, that looked like the ones they had just eaten the day before.
"I see someone finally is awake." She grinned at him.
"Good work, Seth.."She told her partner, as he got nearer to look what was it, that smelled so promising.
Cyrus hobbled nearer and sat down next to them.
He instantly received a branch with grilled meat at its end from Jessie.
"Breakfast´s ready." She told him in a cheery tone, he wasn´t used, since he wasn´t really a morning´s person.
When he bit into it this time, he was again surprised.
"Damn, tastes even better than before.."
"That´s because this one´s grilled and the other was smoked." She told him.
"Hmm.." He said, not really caring as long as it tasted.
While he was nibbling on his breakfast, Cyrus´ eyes wandered to the carnivore behind them.
"What about him ? Or is the new plan to have me as the victim this day ?"
It was only meant to be a half joke.
"Oh, Seth has already eaten. You see, quite lots of energy is necessary to wake up someone with a tight sleep like you. There could be Brachs stampeding over your head and still you would continue to sleep !"
She laughed about her own joke.
"Funny, really...very funny.." Flashing a false smile again.
When they were finally done, Jessie extinguished the fire and climbed on Seth´s back.
"Ready everyone ?"
Cyrus not that much motivated "Yeah" was understandable drowned by Seth´s thundering roar.
What a way to start the day.. He mused.
Around noon they stopped at a wellspring to fill up their bottles.
Well, Jessie filled up all her bottles, Cyrus only filled one out of two.
Nothing in the world could make him mix his precious alcohol with mere water.
Seth let his big tongue flash out of his mouth and drank in loud slurps.
All the while Cyrus eyed their surroundings with a hint of nervousness, not trusting one cracking of a twig.
"What are you looking for ? Forgot something in the trees ?" She grinned.
"Ya sure we won´t be attacked by the big scaleys ?"
"Absolutely. We live here since -what ?...About three years ?"
A grunt from the wellspring confirmed her.
"Yes, about three years, and in that time we hadn´t been so much as seen them..well, ok we talked to them on a few occasions, but apart from that we rarely see them.
We stick to our way and they to theirs."
"Which means what ?"
"Like we don´t steal each others prey, or like yesterday, don´t let their hunt fail..of course it´s also vice versa..."
"But if-"
"If it won´t work ? But it always had, why should that change..and for those who don´t want to simply believe and see what would happen in the worst case..to them I´ll tell the tale of the lone dinosaur.."
She told him, hiding a grin.
"Got me listening, go on."
"Once upon a time there was this T-Rex named Cyrus.."
Her grin grew wider.
"This special dinosaur kept wondering over everything and everyone he met in the forest.
Some say, he was afraid of meat the way he looked at it...
One day his herd told him to go away, since he kept asking lots of questions day per day...so the poor dinosaur wandered off, alone and all by himself.
Soon the Cyrus-Rex became hungry, and if it was destiny, he stumbled upon a younger T-Rex with a rather tasty looking human on his back..."
She had a hard time, trying to surpress a laugh.
"Want to now, how the story ends ?"
"Yeah..absolutely.." Was there something this girl wasn´t making fun of ?
"As he was just about to eat them," She continued; "the younger one stopped him, reminding him of the pact of the Carnivores..."
"What´s the ´´Pact of the Carnivores´´ ?"
"To never eat each other, except it´s really necessary."
"Lovely."
"However, the older one was getting confused and so he told him :
´´I don want to eat you, but the human on your back.´´
´´I know.´´ Answered the younger one.
´´But she´s a part of this pact, too. She became a small part of us, when I decided to make her my partner.´´.
That was when the Cyrus-Rex understood and walked away, no more wanting to harm the human...Finish !"
"I would clap if I got ma second hand free.." His tone full of sarcasm.
"Did you understand the story ?"
"Yeah, but it didn´t really make ma calm. I´m not part of that pact, I don´t have a carnivore partner, who guarantees ma, that I won´t be eaten ?"
"I do." She said, reaching out her hand for him to shake.
"I - Jessica Albert - swear that no harm shall come upon you, as long as you´re in the Rainy Basin !"
"I guess that´s a deal.." Cyrus said, shaking her hand.
When Jessie jumped on Seth again, she freezed for a second, turning around.
"Tell me, Cyrus, what are we looking for again ?"
"Wanna know the truth ?"
"Yes."
"I got no bloody clue."
"Lovely." She said, imitating his own words.
"Only thing I know is," He told her, as they were on their way again, "that it gotta be something special, valuable in some kind...like a map or someting like that.."
"A map ? What´s so special and valuable about a map ?"
"Ya wouldn´t understand...´´minding ma own business´´, remember ?"
"Totally."
"About your ´´business thing´´...-" She started a bout half an hour later.
"It´s not ma ´´business thing´´.."
"But you were the one starting it !"
"Yeah, and ya continued on doin it about ya family !" He fired back, now in rage.
"Fine !" She spit at him, also enraged.
"If you want to know so badly : My parents are dead ! Dead, dead, dead !"
Upset she told Seth to walk faster, leaving Cyrus behind.
So they´re dead ? Both of them ?
Wow,..he hadn´t thought that...
..of course it explained much about her perfectly - like her thing with living in the forest -
-yet he really hadn´t expected it...
... a part of him wanted to apologize, the other - the bigger one - was simply too proud..
...so he kept walking behind them in silence.
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